


Something Beautiful and New

by Aurlana



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Alistair has a crush, Alistair needs a friend, Cullen takes a chance, Cullistair, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, How it all began, M/M, Pumpkin Carving 101, Sweet boys making friends, Total Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 14:04:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21209768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurlana/pseuds/Aurlana
Summary: Alistair has never carved a pumpkin before, the new boy at the Abby takes him under his wing and shows him the ropes.(not a euphemism for anything sexual... I swear)Not this time at least.





	Something Beautiful and New

**Author's Note:**

  * For [McLavellan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/McLavellan/gifts).

> This is what happens when I'm given an open prompt with two of my favorite people involved. I end up not being able to make up my mind! 
> 
> I hope you don't mind a bonus piece of fluff, my dear @McLavellan, cause for some reason, Cullen really needed to help Alistair with this and wouldn't take no for an answer. ;) 
> 
> Bonus fic written for fic-or-treat 2019.

* * *

**Something Beautiful and New**

* * *

He watched from the edge of the yard as the other kids carved their strange-shaped gourds. It was an unusual tradition that happened every year and Alistair could never wrap his head around why they did it. All Hallows Eve was a couple days away. He knew it had something to do with the holiday, but it wasn’t something he’d ever celebrated back in Redcliff, or anything anyone had taken the time to explain to him in the last four years since he came to live at the Abby. So he watched from the shadows and tried to piece together the perplexing ritual.

As Alistair peered out from his hiding spot, he noticed the new kid, Cullen, off to one side, studiously carving away at his own pumpkin. At three years older than the other first years and not in any classes with the students his own age, Cullen didn’t spend much time socializing with his peers. Like Alistair, he mostly kept to himself. Unlike Alistair, he was respected in his request for space and solitude. 

Alistair watched in fascination while Cullen effortlessly sliced into the soft flesh of his large orange orb. His golden curls moving in the cool autumn breeze, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth; his looks were striking, handsome. This wasn’t the first time that Alistair found his gaze lingering a little bit longer than it probably should, and probably wouldn’t be the last. There wasn’t much that he found enjoyment in, so as long as he wasn’t hurting anyone else, Alistair would take what little joy he could find in his day; and he quite enjoyed watching Cullen. 

Unsure of how long he’d actually been lurking, Alistair was surprised when Cullen looked up and smiled at him. 

He looked over his own shoulder to see if maybe there was someone behind him, but no… he was in the shadows, in a corner; there wasn’t any one else around.

Cullen’s smile grew wider as he set his knife down and waved. 

Surprised, Alistair pointed to his chest and mouthed the word… “me?”

Cullen threw his head back with a joyful laugh and waved again, beckoning him over.

Unsure of what awaited him, whether it was the usual ridicule and rebuke that the other recruits dished out to him, or something else entirely, Alistair took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and slowly made his way over. 

“Um… hi,” Alistair said, crouching down next to Cullen so no one else could hear.

“Hi.” Cullen smiled. 

He didn’t smile often, but looking at the radiance spreading across his face, Alistair thought that a pity. He would do anything to see that look on Cullen’s face as often as possible.

“Did you… um. I’m sorry if my watching bothered you.” Alistair finished, lamely. 

“You weren’t bothering me. I was just wondering, how come you aren’t carving with everyone else?”

Alistair looked down and away. “I don’t really fit in with… anyone really. How come you’re not carving with them?”

Cullen shrugged, seemingly unaffected. “I don’t really fit in with any of them, either. I came here because I want to become a Templar, not to make friends.”

Alistair sighed, standing. “I’m sorry I bothered you, then. I’ll just…” He pointed a thumb over his shoulder and started to turn away.

Cullen gently touched Alistair’s ankle. “I didn’t mean you. Please, stay?” 

The uncertainty in his voice gave Alistair pause, so he crouched back down with a tentative smile. “Okay,” he whispered.

The soft look Cullen gave him helped Alistair relax a little bit more. Encouraged, Alistair picked up Cullen’s knife and handed it to him. “Is it okay if I continue to watch from here?”

Cullen shrugged. “It’s probably easier to see up close anyway.” 

When Cullen returned to his carving, Alistair sat and watched, fascinated. The silence between them was comfortable, which, in and of itself was startling for Alistair. It was better than standing in the corner where he couldn’t see very well, though. So far, Cullen created two triangular shaped eyes and the starting of a jagged mouth. 

Once the mouth was completed, Alistair asked, “Why do you make the faces scary?”

Cullen looked up, surprised. “You don’t know?” he asked. “Have you never carved a jack-o-lantern before?”

Alistair shrugged. “Never had the occasion. This wasn’t something we celebrated where I grew up in Redcliff. Well… it was something that was celebrated, just not something I was ever invited to participate in,” he finished with a resigned sigh.

Cullen frowned. “But, what about here? You’ve been here for how many years?”

“I’m in my fourth year. But it’s not…” Alistair looked over his shoulder at the group of recruits studiously ignoring them. “Surely you’ve seen how they treat me. Why would any of them take the time to explain this to me? Plus if they knew that I didn’t know… it would just give them one more thing to tease me about.” His eyes grew wide with realization. “And the moment they realize that you’re talking to me, they’ll probably do the same to you. It would probably be better if I just… go.” 

Cullen placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Alistair leaned into it, the warmth and comfort reminding him how few touches of affection he’d experienced in his life. When he opened his eyes, Cullen was staring at him, not uncomfortably, but more like he was searching for something, trying to figure him out. 

“Would you like to carve one too?” Cullen finally asked. “We can talk about it while we work.” He handed Alistair an unclaimed gourd that was sitting nearby. 

Pulling out his own knife, Alistair settled-in next to Cullen. 

“I hope you don’t mind getting dirty,” Cullen said. “Cleaning out the inside is the messiest part.” He showed Alistair where to cut around the stem then how to scoop out the seeds and pulp. 

As they sat together carving, Alistair listened intently while Cullen explained that All Hallows Eve was a holiday where the veil was the thinnest and sometimes spirits crossed over to visit their loved ones. But sometimes, other spirits would cross over and the jack-o-lanterns were placed in windows and near doorstops to scare the evil entities away. 

Alistair soaked up every ounce of information Cullen was willing to share. From celebrating the end of the harvest and welcoming in the new year, to wearing costumes and carving jack-o-lanterns, he was a rapt and willing student. He may not have ever celebrated All Hallows Eve before, but Cullen seemed happily determined to guide him through this holiday and excited to teach him about all the ones still to come. 

Several hours, and several gourds later, Alistair and Cullen had become fast friends and already made plans to meet the next day to start working on their costumes and masks. 

If All Hallows Eve shepherded in the new year, then this was definitely the start of something beautiful and new for these young men.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to @Tatteredleaf for beta reading for me (even though she was away at a writing convention at the time). Thank you so much for squeezing a little time in when you were so busy!  
And thank you, once again, to @Cullenlovesmen for helping me (inadvertently) work through my story ideas. ;)


End file.
